Becoming a Witch
by geo-girl-223
Summary: When Hermione's son receives his letter to Hogwarts Hermione learns of the magical world, a world denied her, a world where she can finally feel at home.
1. Chapter 1 - You're a wizard

**I love reading fanfiction and I am a big fan of the Dramoine category. The idea for this story has been in my head for a while, I am glad I am finally getting it written. The characters in this story are not my own. **

"You're a wizard, Joshua" Professor McGonagall told Hermione's son. While that was one of the most bizarre statements she had ever heard, it put her at ease. Now parts of Hermione's life were starting to make sense, while raising quite a few questions.

"So this school Hogwarts, you want my son to attend, why was I not enrolled?" Hermione inquired.

"Well, we can only enroll individuals who possess magic of course."

"But, Mum can do magic too. She has been teaching me how to control mine too." Joshua piped in.

"Is that true my dear?"

"Well yes," Hermione replied, "I had similar bursts of accidental magic as you described. As I got older I worked to be able to contain it, and eventually I learned to do a few things on command."

"Would you mind showing me?"

Hermione, noticing that the Professor had finished her first cup of tea, levitated the pot, cream and sugar to fix her new cup, finishing by levitating the fresh cup to the elderly witch.

"Well that is extraordinary, self-taught wandless non-verbal magic. I have never seen such a thing! Oh how I would have loved to have taught you. Are you sure you have never met a witch or wizard?"

"No," _well maybe, _Hermione added, glancing at her son. "But this brings us back to my original question, why was I not enrolled?"

With that McGonagall put down her tea, shifting in her seat in preparation of the discussion to come.

"The quick answer is Lord Voldemort."

"Oh this sounds exciting"

"Don't interrupt Joshua," his mother warned.

"You see," the McGonagall continued, "About the time you were born Hermione a dark evil wizard had come to power."

"Voldemort?" Joshua asked.

"Yes. Voldemort was corrupted by his desire for power. He was raised among muggles, which is our term for non-magical people, and unfortunately he had tragic childhood that led to his hatred of muggles. When he joined the wizarding world he associated with those we called purebloods. Now there were some in our world who believed that magic should only be taught to those who were pureblooded, or who could trace their magical lineage back for generations. Voldemort and these purebloods took over our world, began killing muggleborns, that's what we call people like you, who have non-magical parents. While he was in power it was not safe for muggleborns to be a part of our world."

"How long ago was Voldemort defeated?" Hermione asked

"Ten years."

"Ten years? Why am I just finding out about this now?"

"After Voldemort was killed we began tracking magical usage in the muggle world. Thankfully we had destroyed the enchantments that allow us to track magic usage and had hidden away the books on how the enchantments were made before Voldemort took over our ministry. Otherwise I am sure there would be no muggleborns at all. We were able to restore the enchantments about five years ago, and while we saw that magic had been used in your flat, we had wrongly attributed it all to you Joshua."

"Are there others like me," inquire Hermione, "who have learned to use magic on their own?"

"I'm afraid not Hermione. You see when a witch or wizard goes through adolescence their power begins to change, they become more powerful. You are lucky. We have noticed a lack of muggleborns your age Hermione. Uncontrolled magic is a dangerous thing. As we have been seeking out muggleborns since Voldemort's demise we have found, more often than not, tragic accidents had befallen them. Most we believe have died as a result of magical accidents, those who did survive were generally living in isolation, their magic uncontrolled and chaotic."

"But this war, will it be safe for my son to enter your world?"

"Come on mum, I can take care of myself."

"The war is over." McGonagall stated, "The followers of Voldemort have been arrested, and most importantly most of the children and young adults who lived through the war are determined to let go of their prejudices. Now I know you say you have learned to control your abilities, but I can't stress enough how lucky you are. Hogwarts is the best place for Joshua to be. It is a safe place for him to learn to control his power, and he will learn to do the most amazing things. Your magic, while an amazing feat, is still very rudimentary. Now Hermione, think back, is there honestly not a time when your magic got out of control?"

Hermione looked down at her hands, "I suppose you are right." She whispered thinking of her own tragedy, but quickly looked up and smiled, not wanting Joshua to question the hurt in her eyes. "So Joshua, what do you think? You want to go train to be a wizard?"

"Really, you are going to let me go? Wow, soon I will be able to do everything you can do, probably even more. Think about all the stuff I am going to learn about."

Hermione laughed at her son's glee. "You will have to teach me then."

"I don't know, you would probably pester me for additional homework or something. You're a bit of a nerd Mum." Joshua joked, ignoring the look his mother was giving him.

"Actually we should arrange for a tutor for you Hermione. You have every right to learn about all of this as Joshua, and I am sure you will excel with just a bit of guidance. Now if there are no more questions it is time for me to get going. I have arranged for a wizard named Harry Potter to meet with you on Saturday. He will take you to get the supplies needed for school."

"Alright, while I do have some questions I think I will save them for Harry then. Thank you for coming and… and… well I guess changing our lives."


	2. Chapter 2 - Confessions

**I love reading fanfiction and I am a big fan of the Dramoine category. The idea for this story has been in my head for a while, I am glad I am finally getting it written. The characters in this story are not my own. **

"So Mum, you are really going to let me go away to school?" Joshua asked at dinner that evening. His excitement over everything he had learned that day had filled Hermione's heart with joy.

"Yes I am."

"I thought for sure you were going to tell that witch that you could teach me on your own."

Hermione hummed a response while staring at her food in contemplation. After a few more bites of her meal she looked up smiling when she saw her sons wavy blond hair was once again in his face.

"Joshua, there is something I need to tell you." Hermione said as she pushed her plate away from her.

"What Mum?" He replied as he finished his last bite.

"You know how I told you your grandparents were killed in a fire?"

"Yes"

"Well it's a bit more complicated than that." Hermione said staring unseeingly at her hands. "I was only a sophomore in high school when it happened. You see I had been in my chemistry class earlier that day, and in my excitement of completing the assignment correctly I had accidentally burst one of the beakers."

"Accidentally, you mean with magic?" Joshua asked, shocked to hear of his mother making a mistake.

"Yes. Which lead to an angry teacher, mocking classmates, and a zero on an assignment I was proud of completing correctly. I usually didn't tell my parents when I did magic anymore at that point. It just led to hushed conversations and concerned glances." Hermione took a deep breath before continuing. "That evening after they had gone to bed I let my anger take over my emotions. I was angry at myself for the accident, angry at my parents that I couldn't be myself around them, angry at the world that I had this power I did not understand and could not control."

"But you're so good at controlling your magic"

"I wasn't always. Like Professor McGonagall said, uncontrolled magic is dangerous. After my parents had gone to bed that night I had gone to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate, to try and calm myself down. I turned on the gas to the stove, and reflecting over the events in of the day I had stomped my foot in frustration, which caused a burst of energy to escape me and an explosion on the stove. Things around the kitchen were catching fire, and in my panic and distress over what I had done I caused the flames to grow larger. By the time I realized that I would not be able to control the fire and I needed to get my parents out of the house, the fire had spread to the stairs. I ran outside and yelled below their window that they needed to wake up and get out, but it was too late." Hermione paused as she blinked back the tears. Her voice barely a whisper as she continued, "Joshua, I can't tell you how fast that house burned down. I'm surprised I made it out in time; I'm surprised I didn't burn down the whole neighborhood.

"Those witches and wizards that Professor McGonagall mentioned, living in isolation, I am sure every one of them has a tragic story to tell. It's not hard to imagine how someone might die in an accident from uncontrolled magic." Hermione reached for her sons shoulder. "I don't want you to have a story like mine. That's why I want you to go to this school."

"Why did you never tell me before?" Joshua asked, wide eyed with shock.

"I didn't want you to be afraid of yourself or your magic, or me for that matter. I didn't want to admit that I had killed my parents. I shut down after that, I was an empty shell for a while. That is when I gained control of my magic. When my parents died I had stopped having magical accidents for a while because I had stopped feeling any emotions for a while. After that I knew I had to learn how to control my magic. I went for walks through the countryside, and during these walks I would try and duplicate some of the magic I had done. As I learned how to do some things on my own I started having less accidental magic."

"I guess magic isn't our own special secret anymore," His voice forlorn.

"I guess not, but considering there is a whole world for us to discover I think I will be okay with that. Now," Hermione stood levitating the dishes to the sink, "let's go look at that letter of yours again."

They walk across their small flat. Hermione was a social worker, providing support and resources for single and teenage mothers. It did not provide much, but it was enough for the two of them. Hermione liked being able to help others, especially those in need like she once was. Having a baby the summer before she turned 17 had put an end to her schooling. Looking around her flat there was not much to indicate she was not living in isolation. A few picture of her parents that her aunt and given her, and then pictures of Joshua throughout the years was all she had. For crying out loud she did not even have a picture of her son's father to show him. She was never very good at making friends, her extended family had shunned her for getting pregnant at such a young age, and while she may have neighbors, really Joshua was the only person of importance in her life. McGonagall had said she was lucky, she did not feel it though and could not help but wonder what her life could have been, should have been if it were not for this Voldemort wizard. Try as she might she could not stop the resentment she had been feeling all day.

"Mum," her son's timid voice came beside her as they sat down on the sofa, "Do you think there is some magic out there that would help me find my dad?"

"I don't know Joshua, but I wouldn't get my hopes up."


	3. Chapter 3 - Brightest witch of her age

**I was pleasantly surprised to see that my story is still getting traffic. I was hoping to get Draco to make an appearance in this chapter, but Harry's story took over. Next time. **

**The characters in this story are not my own. **

Saturday had finally arrived. Item around the house were shaking due to Joshua's excitement. When the knock at the door finally came he ran across the flat to answer the door. The moment the door opened Hermione could feel a change in the air. It was the same feeling she had felt when Professor McGonagall had arrived earlier that week, and the same feeling she had felt with Joshua's father. Was it possible that he was a wizard?

"You must be Harry Potter" she said with a smile as she walked to the door. She was greeted with a warm smile and instantly liked him despite his otherwise imposing demeanor. He looked sharp in his unusual suit, and with a wand a knife holstered at his hip, Hermione could tell he was someone to be reckoned with.

"Yes I am. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"Please, step inside a moment while we fetch our things."

"Thank you. I must say Hermione, news of you and your accomplishments have caused quite a stir. Minerva was very excited to tell me all about you."

"She was?" Hermione replied as she gathered her purse and keys, "Joshua, shoes."

"Oh right," he replied racing to his room.

"Yes she was. And let me tell you, she doesn't get excited very often. She was always very stern at Hogwarts. I was always a bit afraid of her."

"Really, I quite liked her."

"Yes, well, try being eleven years old and late for your first class." Harry said with a grin.

"Late for class on your first day," Hermione scolded, "Harry that is just unacceptable. I would have never been late on the first day, or any day for that matter."

"I can see how you two would have got along. Minerva tells me we would have been in the same year at Hogwarts had you been able to attend. It seems like you would have been a good friend to have back then." Harry said, glancing at his wrist watch.

"I'm ready." Joshua called as he walked back into the room.

"So Joshua," Harry said, while reaching into his pocket to remove a comb, "I was just telling your mom here what a stir she has caused for the magical community."

"Really?"

"Yes," he glanced at his watch again "We starting checking in on muggleborns with young parents like your mom, just to make sure there is no one else like Hermione here. There was even a news article written about her."

"What?" Hermione asked, slightly horrified.

"Yes," Harry replied, twirling the comb around, "What is it they said, 'she is sure to be the brightest witch of her age,' now I need the two of you to hold onto this comb with me."

Joshua immediately reached out his hand, only to be pulled back by his mother.

"What is that going to do?" inquired Hermione.

"It will transport us to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Now, please take hold, it is much better than apparating which is what I will do if you don't take hold in the next… ten seconds." Harry said glancing at his watch again.

"Come on mum." Joshua grabbed hold.

"Oh all right" Hermione also grabbed the comb just in time to feel herself being pulled by the navel and whisked away, once the spinning stopped Hermione found herself in heap next to her son, with Harry grinning over them.

"Much better than traveling by car if you ask me," laughed Harry. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out two vials. "Here, drink this; it will help with the nausea."

"Thanks," Hermione said as she reached for the vial, amazed when she did feel better. "I'm not sure I agree with you on your preference for travel."

"Mum, stop being so boring, look around, we're somewhere else." Hermione finally took in her surroundings, they were in a small alleyway, a door in one direction and a brick wall in the other.

"If it makes you feel better I will be sending you home by car so that you will know the way back, but Hermione, you need to make up for lost time if you are going to live up to your new title as the brightest witch of her age. Now," Harry pulled out his wand touching a brick on the wall, "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Any annoyance Hermione was feeling towards Harry melted away the moment the wall opened up. She could feel the energy, the magic of the place. It felt like home. Looking towards her son she saw the excitement she felt reflected in his eyes. "Let's go" they said together.

After a few minutes of walking around, taking in the sights Harry piped in, "Now, we will need to get two of everything so Hermione will have a set of her own while you are at school Joshua. Let's start with wands."

The Grangers follow Harry down the alley way to Ollivanders Wand Shop.

"Hello Ollivander," Harry called to an apparently empty shop as they entered.

After some shuffling in the back an old wizard appeared with a smile, "Ah, Auror Potter always a pleasure to see you. Here with a new Hogwarts student I presume."

"Yes I am," Harry said, giving Joshua a push forward.

"And who might you be?" Ollivander inquired.

"Joshua Granger sir."

"Now let's see," Ollivander said while looking over Joshua with a contemplative look, eventually walking back into the shop while muttering to himself.

"Mr. Potter," Joshua asked "What is it he called you, Auror?"

"Ah," Harry exclaimed, "well that is my job title. An auror is member of a special unit of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We investigate crimes related to dark magic and apprehend dark wizards. You can think of me as a police officer. Also, you can call me Harry if you like."

"OK Harry, does that mean you helped defeat Voldemort?"

"Oh Joshua, Harry would have been too young for that." Hermione said.

"Too young maybe," Ollivander interjected as he returned to the front of the store, "but Harry here was the one who ultimately defeated him."

Joshua looked at Harry with amazement, while Hermione gave him a baffled look.

"Yes, I did defeat him," Harry said, his confident demeanor diminishing as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But," sputter Hermione, "How... Why... That's just, but you were still a child."

"He was of age; a wizard becomes an adult at 17. Now Joshua," Ollivander said handing a wand to the boy, "give this a swish."

Joshua did as he was asked, sending a row of wands flying off the shelf.

"Hmm, let's see." Ollivander said taking the wand back, and turned to disappear among the shelves, calling back over his shoulder, "Now Harry, no need to be modest, its best they hear about you from you."

At the two expectant looks from the Grangers Harry sighed and began. "When Voldemort first came to power there was a group of wizards called the Order of the Phoenix that fought against him. My parents were a part of that group and were killed during a battle. I was raised as a muggle by my aunt and uncle, like you Joshua I didn't know I was a wizard until I was eleven."

"But you said your parents fought against Voldemort, how do you have muggle relatives." Hermione asked.

"I am what you would call a half-blood. My mother was a muggleborn, my father was a pureblood."

"So we have purebloods, half-bloods what do they refer to muggleborns blood as?" Hermione inquired.

"The prejudiced purebloods call them mudbloods. And I honestly think that is the first time I have said that term out loud. And while we're on the topic, there are also the blood traitors, those who fought against Voldemort and supported equality for muggleborns."

"How were you allowed to go to Hogwarts if you parents fought against Voldemort?"

"We were tolerated at best. And by allowing us into Hogwarts we were able to be monitored and subjected to anti-muggle propaganda."

"Here," Ollivander interrupted, handing another wand to Joshua. A broken lamp later and he wandered away again.

"What I don't understand," Hermione stated, "is why Voldemort was in power for so long."

"He was only in power for two years the first time he took control. Albus Dumbledore was able to defeat and kill him, but a few years later he came back. And before you ask I will not discuss how he did that, let's just say he committed the darkest of evil acts to ensure his immortality. When he returned to power most people were so fearful that they would not rise up against him. Albus was ousted and went into hiding; he spent the next decade or so figuring out what Voldemort had done and how to defeat him, a difficult task when on the run and very few willing to help. The summer before my seventh year at Hogwarts Albus began to make his move, destroying Voldemorts means for immortality. When Voldemort discovered what was happening the world became dangerous for anyone who was not a staunch support of him. A lot of people went on the run that summer. I joined the re-organized Order of the Phoenix and fought with others to defeat Voldemort, I just happened to be the one to give the final blow."

"A lot of legends and folklore has developed in regards to Harry. Savior of the wizarding world they like to call him." Harry grimaced at the title. "Now," Ollivander handed another wand to the boy, "third times the charm they say." This time a breeze could be felt in the room and a pleasant glow surrounded the young wizard. "Well there you have it. Hawthorne with dragon heartstring, 10 ¾, supple. The wand chooses the wizard. Now Ms. Granger do you have wizarding money?"

"Actually," Harry said "Hermione here will need a wand as well."

"Well, that means you are that young witch everyone is so excited about."

"Yes, she is the brightest witch of her age." Harry said.

"Could you quit calling me that, Savior of the wizarding world?"

"Alright, alright. I apologize." Harry held his hands up in defeat.

"Hermione did you say? I am quite excited to see what wand will take to you as you learned to channel magic without one. Yes, most interesting." Ollivander began muttering again and disappeared.

"So mum, what's it like to be famous."

"Oh hush you. Now come here at let me take a look at this wand."

Joshua proudly showed his wand to his mother. "So Harry, how do you use a wand?" He asked.

"The wand helps you channel your magic, then there are spells and wand movements that you need to learn. For instance," he removed the wand from the holster on his hip, "Reparo." The Grangers watched in amazement as the broken lamp fixed itself.

"That would be handy. We usually just break things with magic. Can you show me how to do that?" Joshua asked brandishing his wand and knocking over a vase, "Opps." He muttered lowering his wand.

"I see you don't just use magic to break things. You will have to wait for Hogwarts to start practicing spells though. Underaged magic is forbidden outside of Hogwarts, and I have a feeling your mother here is a stickler for the rules."

"I am" Hermione said giving her son a stern look.

"You on the other hand could give it a try Hermione. That is if Joshua is willing to let you use his wand."

Joshua, eager to see more magic was quick to hand his mother the wand.

"Take the wand and give it a flick towards the vase while you say the incantation."

Hermione raised the wand and gave it a flick toward the vase, taking a step back in shock when it repaired itself.

"Non-verbal on your first try, and with another's wand no less." Ollivander smiled as he returned with an armful of wands.

"I just said the spell in my head." Hermione exclaimed, still staring at the vase.

"I have a new theory, I believe any number of wands would work for you, but I want to try this one. Vine with dragon heartstring, 10 ¾, brittle."

"Brittle?" Hermione asked as she reached for the wand. She took a deep breath as she felt the magic of the wand accept her, the wand almost felt like an extension of her.

"As I said the wand chooses the witch. Brittle refers to the wand willingness to work with another. Others will find it hard to use your wand, while your son's supple wand is more willing preform for another. I find the brittle ones to only work with those who possess strong magic, or a strong, be it good or bad, character trait. Now you Hermione I feel will be too modest like Harry here, and I for one think they are not far off the mark when the called you the brightest witch of her age"


	4. Chapter 4 - Reunion

**I was pleased to see a couple of positive reviews in regards to the English. This is the first time I have really written anything since my master's thesis eight years ago. The last time I can remember writing something that wasn't a technical paper was sixth grade.**

**The characters in this story are not my own. **

After a full day of shopping, the Grangers and Harry made their last stop at Flourish and Blotts.

"Harry," Joshua whispered, "we may be here a while, Mum really likes books."

"I heard that." Hermione admonished.

"What, it's true." He cried.

Giving him a look Hermione stepped inside the shop, followed by Joshua and Harry.

"Hermione, if it's alright with you, after we get the text books I could take Joshua over to the joke shop while you look around." Harry suggested. Joshua's eyes lit up in eager excitement as he looked for his mother's approval. "The shop is just across the way, I'm sure you saw it as we passed."

"Please mum?" Joshua begged.

"Alright, come back when you are done. Now, where are those text books Harry?"

With two sets of the first year textbooks on hold at the counter, and Harry and Joshua off to the joke shop, Hermione finally took the time to take in her surroundings. She slowly walked down the aisles reading book titles and running her finger along the spines as she went. With whole sections of the shop dedicated to potions, charms, ancient runes and so on she hardly knew where to start. She could feel the pressure of making up for lost time, as Harry had said when they first arrived in Diagon Alley earlier that day. There was obviously so much she did not know, and if there is something Hermione Granger hated, it was not knowing.

Now in the history section of the store a book entitled _Hogwarts, A History_ caught her eye. As she was about to send her one and only son off to this school in a little over a week, learning everything she could about the school seemed imperative. Taking the tome off the shelf she began flipping thru the pages as she moseyed her way to the next section of the store.

Turning down a random aisle she finally glanced up as she noticed someone in the way. With a gasp, she nearly dropped her book, causing the man in front of her to look up.

"It's you." She whispered when their eyes met. She would recognize him anywhere, what with his nearly white blonde hair, stormy grey eyes, and aristocratic facial features. Seeing him again she could finally pinpoint the features her son got from him. He had changed of course; twelve years would do that to a person. He no longer had the lanky leanness of a teenage boy, his body and face had filled out, softening some of the angles. His clothing was similar to what he wore back then, she now recognized them for the wizard robes they were. "I honestly thought I would never see you again."

They started at each other for a few moments before Hermione felt compelled to fill the silence. "Pretty shocking huh? I guess I now know why I had such a hard time finding you. You wouldn't be in any muggle records if you were a wizard would you? Of course I didn't know you were a wizard then. I have had my suspicions since professor McGonagall came last week, and now I know for sure. You're still speechless, but then this must be a bigger shock for you, I on the other hand have spent the last week trying to finally sort out the mystery of you, and here you are." She finally stopped, blushing as she reflected on that little speech she just gave.

The stone faced expression finally left his face leaving a cocky grin in its place. "Left that big of an impression on you did I? All this time and you're still thinking about me?" The angry glare from Hermione only made his grin grow wider. "But that leaves the question of why you're here?"

Hermione nervously glanced everywhere but him. She had no intention of keeping their sons existence a secret, he had every right to know, but she found herself unprepared for how to have this conversation. In the end it turned out she did not need to break the news.

"Wait you said McGonagall stopped by, but that means…" he trailed off. Hermione glanced up at him again and was pleased to see the smug grin had been wiped from his face. Her pleasure quickly faded and her heart raced as she saw him doing the math in his head. When his eyes grew wide she could not help the smirk that grew on her face.

"You left me with more than just impressions that summer."

A stunned silence hung between them.

"I'm a…" he trailed off again, unable to form the word. His face grew pale.

"Yes, you're a father."

After a few moments of stunned silence he began to glance around. "Well, where is he? She? Merlin's beard!"

After taking a moment to process the new exclamation Hermione replied, "A wizard named Harry Potter has been helping us today, Joshua and Harry are at some joke shop."

"Ah yes, Saint Potter, always volunteering to help out." He said with a sneer.

"You don't like him?"

"I don't like how everyone seems to think the sun shines out of his arse."

"Well he doesn't seem to appreciate the praise either."

"Wouldn't want to ruin that perfect image with an ego now would he? So you know a bit about the war then? I was of the understanding that they tried to leave that in the past when introducing muggleborns to the wizarding world."

Hermione was flabbergasted. "How could they not let muggleborns know they were entering a world where people were prejudiced to the point of war against their very existence?"

"We weren't prejudice to the point of war." He ground out, his expression turning dark. "The Dark Lord wanted power and control, when he joined the wizarding world that power lay in the hands of the wealthy pureblood elite. He adopted their cause as his own and began to manipulate and terrorize everyone around him until his tyranny had twisted our world until it was a shadow of what it could be, of what it is today. So no, we don't want your first impressions of our world to be of fear and terror. A lot has changed in the past ten years. We've changed and grown, and your Saint Potter with his band of jolly Aurors takes care of anyone who hasn't."

"You called him the Dark Lord, everyone else called him Voldemort" Hermione stated timidly.

"Yeah, well old habits die hard."

"That must mean you were one of his followers, you're one of those purebloods." Her fury grew with each accusation. "You! You're the reason I wasn't able to attend Hogwarts, why I grew up fearful of my magic, why I…" she stopped before she could admit out loud what happened to her parents.

"I'm a blood-traitor if you want to get technical about it. And you just proved the point." He took a step closer, glaring down at her. "You have known about all of this for what, a week? And already you're pointing fingers and placing blame where it doesn't belong. I was still a child when all of this happened and was every bit the victim you were." His breathing was heavy. "So you're that witch. I must say you don't seem very bright to me, and had I known you were a mudblood that summer I would have been faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to kill you on the spot."

Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other, blood boiling.

"Draco," their standoff was interrupted by a female voice at the end of the aisle, "we should go now."

"Excuse me," Draco said, stone faced once again as he brushed past Hermione.

Hermione stood there in shock as she listened to his footsteps fade away. When she finally turned around he saw Draco with an elegantly dressed woman on his arm. She followed on stunted legs and watched them walk to the front of the shop. Before they reached the door it opened and in walked her son and Harry. Horrified of what might happen she could only watch her feet glued to the floor. Draco froze as he looked at his son for the first time. After an obviously awkward exchange between Draco and Harry her son broke away from the group, having finally spotted her calling out "Mum."

Hermione tore her eyes away from Draco to look at her approaching son. With her best attempt at a happy smile she looked at the new trinkets he pulled from his bag for her inspection. Looking up once again she locked eyes with Draco, holding his expressionless gaze for only a moment before he turned and left.


End file.
